Mission: Knowledge vs. Wisdom [Solo]

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Reading was not exactly Yuuma's strong suit, and when it came to referencing guides or history books, the endless names and dates and locations begin to clog up his focus. Despite his interest in learning more of the city of Hoshigakure, the book he had in his hand struggled to keep his attention. The day was cold, a freshly fallen snow had covered the village recently. Yuuma was familiar with snow, so being cold was nothing new to him. It did make the mission he had picked a little more difficult, however. He had elected to take a mission to simply learn more about the city through text and manual, though truly any experience to learn more about the city was welcomed. His apartment had a heater, but Yuuma was more inclined to save the extra money if he could help it. Besides, it was a good opportunity to sit in the city and watch it work. Watch the people go about their days and execute the plans they had made for themselves. Yuuma soon came to learn that a spot next to a bunch of children playing amidst the snow was perhaps not the best place to be studying as a wayward snowball would crash into his side. Looking over at the bit of snow, he then looked to the kids who looked at him with a bit of worry. Perhaps it had been the rather dull stare he offered, but more likely, it was the sign of the headband that gave them pause. They knew what that meant. Shinobi.

What they did not expect, however, was Yuuma to be reigning champion of his villages snowball fight battle royal for the past three years. So when he scooped a bit of snow to toss it back, they were ill prepared and found themselves with a face full of snow. Not to be detoured, however, the kids were soon to retaliate, and the ensuing battle would see Yuuma's book cast aside on the bench he left, tucking and rolling as the fight quickly became one-sided. Despite Yuuma's years of experience and even ninja training, there was simply too many of them, and their frames were too hard to hit behind hastily made ramparts of battle. Still, Yuuma managed to catch a few to the face and serve a few to a couple faces as well. Eventually, Yuuma managed to drive the school of children away by taking over one of their own fortifications, forcing them to retreat down a different road. Feeling triumphant, Yuuma returned to his spot to pick up his book and continue reading. Although he waited with a partially made snowball nearby, it would be a little while before the children returned, and this time they seemed to be running away from another unknown source. Most likely, Yuuma reasoned, another faction of children had entered the winter turf war. 

In their hurry, one of the children placed their footing wrong and was sent sprawling across the snow, left behind by the group as a sacrifice to whatever was chasing them. Yuuma didn't pay much mind to it until the kid began to cry and slowly rose to sitting holding their leg. With a quiet sigh, Yuuma resigned to getting a little studying done as he rose from the bench again, this time to work his way over to the kid. Kneeling down beside him, he would look over the wound. Nothing major. Just a sprain. Looking between the kid and his wound, Yuuma would make a few hand signs before a soft green glow would form over his hand, drawing a gasp from the child. "It's okay," Yuuma said in a calm voice. "This will make you feel better." With the child's fears abated for the moment, Yuuma would place a hand over the sprain to allowed the minor healing effects to begin. 

The child would make small wonderous noises as the healing took effect of his ankle, beginning to soothe some of the superficial aches that the injury caused. Around him, however, Yuuma heard the disapproving sounds of the people that watched the display of shinobi magic being applied to one of their own young, but no one moved to intervene. At that moment, however, a younger woman who looked roughly his own age rounded the corner that the child had previously run from, betraying herself as the one they had been running from. Gaining a look of anger and annoyance, Yuuma put up a hand the had finished its process as the woman quickly stormed towards them. "It is not-"

"Look sis! He made my leg feel better!" The youth said, jumping up in his spot and bouncing to meet the woman who moved forward, allowing her expression to shift from anger to relief, but maintain it's an annoyance as she produced a pair of gloves evidently meant for the child to have had, putting them forward to him. Her annoyed look began to relieve itself when the child, now properly healed up and sufficiently mitten-clad, turned to chase after the would-be friends that had left him to his demise. When the woman's gaze returned, Yuuma had moved back to his bench to pick up his book and continue reading where he had left off. There was a moment where the woman would idle, considering the man that had helped her little brother before stepping forward to approach him.

"Hey." She spoke out. "Thank you, for helping him. He can be a pain sometimes..." The woman continued, waiting to make sure she had his attention before she spoke again. "I am sorry about that look. You know, being raised around here...old habits die hard, and so on.." She said, trailing off as she sheepishly motioned to his headband. Clearing her throat, she continued. "But really, thank you. My name is Feng Yu." She offered a polite bow as she looked him over.

Yuuma was doing quite the same, taking in the view of this new person as she stood before him. In his hometown, she would be considered very beautiful. The kind of woman that all the boys would be fighting over when it came time to wrestle with puberty. But Yuuma also realized that he was lingering on these thoughts too long when Feng's eyebrow began to shift upwards at his lack of reply. Shaking his head slightly, Yuuma would collect himself before responding. "Yuuma. Fujiwara. It is nice to meet you." He replied quietly.   

The woman chuckled quietly. "A man of few words huh? Strong silent type?" Yuuma wasn't sure how to respond to the jest, so he simply looked away, but Feng Yu continued. "Can't say I blame you, waving around that fancy light of yours in Old Town. You have quite the spirit, but the wrong job if you want people to like you. If you really want people to like you, you should volunteer at the hospital. We always need more people." She smiled. When confusion washed over his face, she beckoned him to his feet. Once he was standing, she would begin to lead him through the street and into the town. "Come on, I'll show you where it is. I've never seen you before, and if you know shinobi arts, you would know better than to practice them out in the open here. So I conclude you must be new to the city!" She said, walking alongside the much taller man.

Yuuma had stuffed his book into his pocket as he shuffled along beside Feng Yu. "Thank you." Yuuma murmured quietly to her as they passed by dirty stare after dirty stare, though thankfully they began to vanish after they turned a corner or two as they traveled through the city. "I don't understand. You seem okay knowing I am a shinobi, but others here look ready to pound me into the ground." Yuuma voiced, looking at the people they passed by. "Why is that? And what makes you so different?" He said, looking back to her. When she turned her head to look at him, her hair flicked a pleasant smell of strawberry into the air.

"I'm not sure anyone can pound you. You are pretty big." She giggled, a fist punching him gently in the arm, which drew his attention momentarily. "It's an old grudge. And I'm sorry again for looking at you like that. A lot of our parents had hard times because of the Ninja. And some of them still don't approve of them being here. But some of us know someone who was saved because of the shinobi's intervention." She said, smiling to him sweetly. He knew it was just the fondness of the knowledge that someone she loved was still alive, but it still made his heart skip. "Don't worry, things are becoming better. Maybe someday soon, there won't be this divide between our people and our people." It was a quote Yuuma would endeavor to remember. "As for me, well, my mother doesn't like shinobi, so I get the face from her. But my father says that people are people, whether they wear a headband and breath fire or not." She giggled again, looking back down the road.

It was an interesting contrast. Up until now, it felt as though they were two sets of animals living in this land, and interaction between the two was not much heard of. But now, for this moment, the two worlds walked side by side. It was the first diplomatic contact Yuuma had made with the other side of the city that didn't involve getting his face rearranged into a modern art piece. As they walked, Yuuma would listen to Feng Yu talk about the other part of the city. About the royal family, and how they had protected the people. About the culture that had existed here before the shinobi had come along. All of it fascinating. Yuuma felt this kind of connection was something real. Something tangible that the books lacked in showing him. If he really wanted to know this city, he would have to know it's people. And to know it's people, he would have to understand their roots.

The two of them would shortly arrive at the hospital, where they would come to stand as Feng Yu turned to Yuuma and took in a deep breath. "Well, here we are. I should get going and make sure I get in there before things get crazy. Snow is going to mean I see a lot of scrapes, cold burn, and bloody noses." She sighed, shaking her head as she departed, waving back to Yuuma. "Hope to see you around!" 

"Yeah." thought Yuuma as he looked over the building, memorizing its location and how he had gotten here. "I do too."


[Mission: Complete]

Mission Target: 1,000
TWC - 1,800

Claims:
Missions rewards - +1 AP, +1 CD with Kage, 500 Ryo
Putting all word count towards Star Power! - [1800/2000]

Approved